Atletico Madrid produced a devastating first-half display to thrash Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on 12 February 2026, leaving the holders with a mountain to climb in the return fixture.
Diego Simeone’s side seized control inside 45 ruthless minutes at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, punishing defensive errors and slicing through Barcelona with clinical counter-attacking football.
The breakthrough arrived in bizarre fashion after just six minutes. Defender Eric Garcia rolled a routine back pass towards goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who miscontrolled the ball and allowed it to slip under his foot and over the line.
Atletico doubled their lead eight minutes later with a sweeping move. Ademola Lookman released Julian Alvarez, who switched play to Nahuel Molina. The full-back’s clever pass found Antoine Griezmann, and the Frenchman calmly steered his finish into the bottom corner.
The third came in the 33rd minute as Giuliano Simeone surged down the right and squared for Lookman to convert after neat interplay with Alvarez. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick introduced Robert Lewandowski before the break, but the change failed to halt Atletico’s momentum.
Moments before half-time, Lookman again combined with Alvarez, who fired emphatically into the top corner to make it four.
Despite enjoying 70 per cent possession in the first half, Barcelona struggled to cope with Atletico’s pace in transition. Juan Musso denied Fermin Lopez early in the second period, while a Pau Cubarsi effort was ruled out for offside following a lengthy VAR review.
Barcelona’s misery deepened late on when Eric Garcia was shown a red card after bringing down substitute Alex Baena.
The winners will meet either Real Sociedad or Athletic Bilbao in April’s final in Seville, with the return leg against Barcelona scheduled for 3 March 2026 at Camp Nou.
